![]() ![]() The wine – 2017 Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco DOCĬoda di Volpe is a white grape used to make medium- to full-bodied wines since ancient times in Campania. The region also boasts numerous boutique, family-run wineries defining their own style of Campanian wines and building on the success of pioneer Antonio Mastroberardino.ĭrawing of grapes by Alexis Kreÿder (public domain, see full credit). Today, the 10-generation Mastroberardino family owns 14 estates across Campania. Sales of wine made from these grapes supports research and restoration of historic viticultural sites in Campania. Grapevines were planted using ancient Roman techniques. The goal of this project is to preserve ancient grapes and capture the style of wine made during the Roman empire. In 1996, the Italian government selected Mastroberardino to start the Villa dei Misteri project inside the Pompeii excavations. But rather than plant international varieties, Mastroberardino focused on bringing back nearly extinct grapes, including three – Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico (Taurasi) – that would become his flagship, Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wines. He replanted existing vineyards and purchased the best available land to expand their holdings. Mastroberardino returned from World War II to find his family’s wine estate in ruin. Map by Ypsilon from Finland – Own work, CC0. Vesuvio was recognized as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) in 1983. For years, the area was regarded as incapable of producing quality wines – that is, until Mastroberardino proved otherwise. Vesuvio’s vineyards are located on the slopes of this still living, breathing volcano east of Naples. ( CBC: The Nature of Things with David Suzuki). ![]() Pliny the Elder, author and notable Pompeian, wrote extensively on the variety of grapes used in the region. Pompeiians had a widespread reputation for their winemaking capacity and worshipped Bacchus, the god of wine, who appears on many frescoes and archaeological fragments. Pompeii was a major wine center during ancient Roman times. Just sayin’…) That’s an image of Vesuvius as seen from Pompeii on the screen at the top. (Gastronomically, the region’s reputation rests on Neapolitan pizza. Historically, Campania is best known as home to Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that buried the city of Pompeii in 79 AD. So pleased to find another obscure, native grape to add to my list! If reading this in time, please join us for the chat on Saturday, May 2, starting at 11 am ET. For the Italian Food, Wine and Travel monthly Twitter chat, I purchased a Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Bianco, a white wine made from Coda di Volpe grapes. He is widely recognized as the protector and guardian of the region’s native grapes. In the Campania region of southern Italy, this giant is Antonio Mastroberardino. Through grit and perseverance, these industry giants changed the course of history. Sometimes a single producer led the way – Gérard Bertrand in the Languedoc and Etienne Guigal in the northern Rhône. Sometimes they banded together to form cooperatives and share resources. Then two world wars raged across the continent causing widespread suffering and economic upheaval.Īfter World War II, winemakers worked hard to regain their footing. ![]() ![]() European winemakers have known their fair share of hardship.įirst phylloxera, a viral pest, wiped out vineyards throughout Europe in the late 19 th century. ![]()
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